Early last year a friend of a friend found out that I made my own clothes. I had just finished a new pair of handmade denim that fit me like a glove. And then came her comment with a chuckle:

“Oh! You can hem my jeans!”

Frankly, I was insulted – as was my expertise and talent. I won’t ramble on about my response, but suffice it to say it was curt and to the point.

When you start a business, especially a creative one, it’s easy to get side-tracked to make ends meet. I’ll admit that a year after that interaction, I’ve taken on alteration jobs, mostly for friends. After all, why would I turn down a paying job?

After thinking this through for several weeks, I’ve come to the conclusion that altering ready-to-wear clothing is simply incongruent with my business model. I want women to learn to make their own clothes (or have them custom made) so that they can feel the difference between a handmade garment that fits perfectly, and a store bought item that has issues. I really don’t want to be spending my time altering clothing my clients have purchased from a store. It’s simply not part of my intention with Modern Seamstress, despite the fact that it could provide a small chunk of income.

I think women in particular are afraid to say no. We agree to projects, collaborations, or jobs that aren’t really speaking to the heart of our dreams. Maybe we want the money. Maybe we think we need to say yes so we don’t lose future business. The reasoning doesn’t matter so much – either way, not focusing on our intentions as business owners leaves us stressed out and overworked. It keeps us from fully pursuing what we want to be doing in favor of what others want us to do.

Making this decision feels empowering. I don’t feel like I’m missing out on income. In fact, it motivates me to further educate women about what services I provide and why those are worth paying for. Focusing on my intentions with my creative business opens up my time and energy to make my dreams a reality rather than getting bogged down.

I hope this empowers other creative business owners to stay true to their goals. I know this has greatly refocused mine, and I’ve had time to think about other cool things to offer, like a capsule collection of clothes that I design and create. That’s something to be excited about.

In the meantime, I choose to have faith that my services and products will catch on, and that I can make that happen. And if you happen to need alterations, I’m happy to provide a referral.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my very short time being a self-employed business owner, it’s that opportunities come knocking when you least expect it.

A couple weeks ago I saw down with Melanie Sanchez, Girl Boss Extraordinaire and CEO of Alma Diem. Alma Diem is a business community that house like-minded entrepreneurs under one roof while also providing amazing support like business coaching and a ton of social media and marketing support.

I hadn’t started seriously thinking about a physical location for Modern Seamstress, but the timing was perfect – my custom work has grown to include clients who aren’t friends or family and I’m starting to get interest in my classes from the general public. Both of these were reason enough to move operations out of my dining room and into a proper business location.

So what does this mean for Modern Seamstress?

1. Starting in May all of my sewing classes and workshops will be held at Alma Diem located at 222 South Peters Road in West Knoxville. I will have space for up to 15 per class as well as parking, restroom facilities and a more convenient location for the majority of my students.

2. Starting this week, all of my custom client consultations will be held at Alma Diem.

I am so excited for this opportunity to not only legitimize my business, but also reach a greater market of clientele by being more centrally located. I could not have asked for a better co-working environment, and I’m already inspired by all the entrepreneurs who call Alma Diem home.

I knew it would be. I had several people warn me. I even mapped out my days for optimal productivity. It’s what I do and I’m good at it. But man it’s hard. And if it weren’t hard enough to manage one business, I’m managing TWO.

Don’t worry – this will not be a post where I bemoan about the choices I’ve made. Despite the difficulty, I really love being self-employed. I’m working for my own dream and not someone else’s. That’s an incredible feeling. I also have control over major aspects of both of my businesses, and I love that too. I’m 100% passionate about my ventures – sewing & helping others. But sometimes I miss the niceties of working for others. Like having a secretary.

Everyone reads about young entrepreneurs and how much fun they’re having being their own boss. And that’s true – I love the freedom and flexibility. Rarely do you hear, however, just how hard it is doing everything yourself. From copies to scheduling to documentation to accounting to photos to blog posts to Instagram 3x per day to setting up a video set, it’s. all. on. me.

And it’s all beautiful and awesome and stressful and hard. Really, really stinkin’ hard.

It’s hard meeting with clients in rural counties and hoping I have the ability to find them a job so they can enter the workforce despite their disability. When I did this job as a State employee, I was paid regardless. Now my pay is dependent on others, and that’s scary.

It’s hard to create engaging sewing courses that hopefully people with take, and then trust that you can adequately teach the material in a way that a novice can understand. And don’t even get me started on marketing and self-promotion – I annoy myself some days.

Don’t let social media fool you. Those of us crazy enough to pursue our dreams are working our assess off. And some of us are lucky enough to have a ton of support. Like a mom who cleans my house every few weeks. Or a boyfriend who reminds me of my awesomeness when I’m freaking out. And a stepdad who provides financial support when I need it.

I’ll keep on keepin’ on. I’m learning that I can’t work 10 hours without a break. Or pack my schedule so tightly that I have no time to sew for myself. I need consistent sleep, bubble baths, dark chocolate and date nights. I’m slowly but surely figuring out how to make everything work. And I truly love it.